The present invention relates to the treatment of anthrax infections and to the use of certain 2,4-diaminopyrimidine compounds for the manufacture of medicaments for said treatment.
Anthrax is a highly infectious disease that normally affects animals, for example goats, cattle, sheep or horses, but which can be transmitted to humans by contact with infected animals, infected animal products or Bacillus anthracis spores.
The transmitter of anthrax is a bacterium called Bacillus anthracis, an encapsulated Gram-positive, nonmotile, aerobic, spore-forming bacterium. Its spores resist destruction and remain viable in the soil and in animal products for years, even for decades.
Humans are usually infected through the skin or from eating meat contaminated with anthrax resulting in cutaneous or gastrointestinal forms of anthrax infections. Substantial danger may also come from the spores of anthrax, which, once inhaled, can result in a disease in the lungs referred to as pulmonary anthrax or also as woolsorter's disease and which is usually fatal.
Nowadays anthrax is rare in humans in the developed industrial countries, however, it still occurs largely in less developed countries not sufficiently preventing exposure of humans to infected animals and their products.
Furthermore, there is great concern about anthrax as an agent of biological warfare and bioterrorism.
Today, antibiotics are given to unvaccinated individuals exposed to inhalation anthrax. Penicillin, tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones are known to be effective if administered within about 24 hours. Ciprofloxin is approved by the FDA for a postexposure treatment of inhalational anthrax.
Nevertheless, there is an ongoing great interest in finding new antibacterial drugs for said purpose, for example, as an alternative for fighting strains of Bacillus anthracis which are or become resistant against the present antibiotics.